Mechanical pencil of the pushbutton type



Nbv. 2, 1948. F. COLLURA I 2,452,906.

MECHANICAL PENCIL OF THE PUSH-BUTTON TYPE Filed June 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTOR F/EA/vcfkrco Cam/EA I $LAT;IORNEY v Patented Nov. 2, 1948 UNITED STATES .PAT'ENT orrlcs "MECHANICAL TPENCIL oF THEPUSH- BUTTON TYPE Francesco Collura, New'York, N. Y. Application June 7, 1946,Serial No. 675. 004

1 This invention relates "to'mechanical pencil of the "push button type and its object is to make a simpler, 'm'ore -'e.fificient and more durable pencil. *Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, proper ties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicatedinthe*claims.

Ger tain subject matter shown and not claimed in this "application is shown and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 662,472.

For a full'e'r understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an outline View of the outside of the pencil;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is a'sectional view of the lower end of the pencil zonathe'line 3-3 of Fig. 2'with certain parts removed for=clearness of showing;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the lower end of the pencil showing the parts in Writing position;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the feeding operation just before the downward feeding stroke is completed;

Fig. 6 shows the return movement of the feeding mechanism under the influence of the return spring just before this return movement has been completed;

Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the feeding jaws;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line ill-40 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 11 is a section on the line llll of Fig. 4.

The pencil as shown has casing sections A and B, one screwed into the lower end of the other. Within the upper casin section A is a lining sleeve 2 and within this lining sleeve is a reciprocable cylindrical magazine cylinder 3 adapted to carry lead sticks 4. This magazine cylinder 3 is clamped at its lower end to the part 5 as shown which forms the bottom of the magazine and is bevelled at its upperend at 6 to accelerate the successive feeding of the lead sticks to the central bore 1 through the lead tube member 8 fitted into the upper end of part 5 as shown and reciprocable within the pencil casing therewith. The position of the magazine cylinder within the casing is under the control of the spiral spring 9 bearing 2 Claims. (01. 120-41) against the "lower end of 5 and restin at its lower end upon the collar Iii which is held in position within the casing B by the tube 5 i clamped thereto atlz at its lower end and flanged at its upper end at It so that it is held in position when the pencil is assembled by the clamping of the flange 13 between the casing sections A and B,

The upward movement of the magazine cylinder is limited by contact between the flange 14 toward the upper end of 5 and the shoulder on the casing section A.

Carried in the upper end of the magazine cylinder 3 is a push button t6 shown as comprising a tube l7 fixed in the uppe end of the magazine cylinder and opening at its upper end to receive the eraser i la.

We turn now to the lead feeding mechanism shown in the figures from 4 to 11. This feeding mechanism comprises twoieed jaw members it and It carried at their upper ends as shown by studs F9 on the lead tube 8 projecting through openings inthe upper ends of the feed jaws, this construction permitting the ready assembling of the parts and disassembling when necessary.

The lower end of each of these feed jaw members as shown in Fig. 10 is grooved to provide angular gripping faces for the lead sticks 4. This construction permits the gripping of the lead by the feed members at certain points only around the circumference of the lead stick and provides for efficient feeding of the lead while at the same time lessening the likelihood of lead breakage. These feeding jaws have lower end projecting members in the nature of wings 2E3, shaped as cam surfaces to correspond with projecting cam studs 2 I, on each of the holding jaw members 22. These holding jaw members 22 are pivoted at 23 on two pairs of legs depending from the collar til, and carry at their lower end holding jaws 24 surrounding and holding the lead in the writing position shown in Fig. 4. At their upper end members 22 are inclined as shown at 25 to cooperate with wedge faces 26 of flange 21, projecting from lead tube member 3. Below the pivots 23 a spring 28 provides for light pressure upon the holding jaws 24 which assists at certain times in holding the lead sticks in place and prevents their dropping out of the lower end of the pencil.

As pressure upon the thumb piece carries the magazine cylinder and lead tube down against the force of spring 9 the feeding jaws l8 are carried therewith but these jaws will slide along the lead stick which is held by the holding jaws 24 until, after very short downward movement, cam wings 26 come in contact with the cam studs 2|. This downward movement of the lead tube has the two-fold function of carrying the flange 21 down, so that the holding jaws are released from the wedging action of the flange 21 at their upper ends and at the same time puts a new pressure upon the feeding jaws so that they grip the lead more firmly and carry it with them in their further downward travel. This feeding action continues until just beyond the point shown in Fig. 5, when the cam wings 20 are released from the stud cams 2i and then due to the natural reaction of the feeding jaws, which are made of some elastic spring metal or other material, they spring outwardly and the thumb pressure being released, spring 9 carries the magazine cylinder and the parts associated therewith including the feeding jaws I8 upwardly. As these jawspass upwardly the cam Wings thereon pass outside the cam studs 2| on the holding jaws and carry the holding jaws 24 into engagement with the lead stick and hold it in position until the parts return to the position shown in Fig. 4 when the holding jaws are under the control of wedges 26 and spring 28.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and difierent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a magazine pencil, a casing, a magazine cylinder telescoping therein, feed jaws carried with said magazine cylinder within said casing at its lower end, said jaws having normally light frictional contact with the lead stick, cam wings carried by said jaws, holding jaws pivoted within said casing, cam studs on said holding jaws between their pivots and the lower jaw faces thereof, said cam wings and cam studs cooperating on the downward movement of the feed jaws to release the holding jaws and to increase the pressure upon the lead of the feed jaws and upon the upward movement of said feed jaws to force the holding jaws against the lead and to relieve any contact of the feed jaws with the lead, a wedgeshaped flange carried with said reciprocable magazine cylinder the inner upper ends of said holding jaws being inclined to cooperate with said wedged-shaped flange.

2. In a magazine pencil, a casing, a magazine cylinder telescoping therein, feed jaws carried with said magazine cylinder within said casing at its lower end, said jaws having normally light frictional contact with the lead stick, cam wings carried by said jaws, holding jaws pivoted within said casing, cam studs on said holding jaws between their pivots and the lower jaw faces thereof, said cam wings and cam studs cooperating on the downward movement of the feed jaws to release the holding jaws and to increase the pressure upon the lead of the feed jaws and upon the upward movement of said feed jaws to force the holding jaws against the lead and to relieve any contact of the feed jaws with the lead, a wedgeshaped flange carried with said reciprocable magazine cylinder the inner upper ends of said holding jaws being inclined to cooperate with said wedged-shaped flange carried with said reciprocable magazine cylinder, and a spring encircling said holding jaws below their pivots to exert light holding pressure thereon.

FRANCESCO COLLURA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 80,378 Wright July 28, 1868 253,803 Wittmann Feb. 14, 1882; 1,700,246 Woelm Jan. 29, 1929 

